Older Adults Concerns About Aging & Eldercare - Aging Wisely

As professionals working to help families, we can learn a lot from listening to those clients and families. What concerns them? What are their priorities as they age and face eldercare issues?

Harris Interactive conducted a poll for The National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, surveying over 2,000 adults on their concerns related to aging and eldercare.

• While losing their physical or mental health was the top rated consumer concern overall (83%), at a close second (78%) was not having sufficient finances to support themselves or their spouses/partners later in life.
• A relatively high percentage of consumers (71%) were concerned about having to leave their homes or losing their independence.
• Losing a spouse/partner and/or having to live alone weighed heavily on the minds of many of the respondents (66%) as did a spouse/partner having to care for a person if he or she was to become frail or were dying.
• Other major concerns noted were losing the ability to drive (65%) and having to care for a spouse/partner as they became ill or were dying (58%).